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> だが、主であるそなたの許可 **なくば** それも許されぬ…！

I understand it pretty much means "However, being our master, we can't even do
that without your permission." but I don't get why なく and ば are both together.
I would have said : "なく" or "なければ" but never "なくば". What could the explanation
behind this be ?


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2017-11-20T13:44:43.363
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2017-11-20T21:19:21.743
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question
grammar conditionals archaic-language
The logic behind なくば


なくば is an older form of なければ. It's not generally used in modern Japanese
(outside of perhaps a few fossilised expressions like さもなくば), but is still
recognised and can be used as part of an affected style of speech.

This character's speech is clearly somewhat archaic in flavour (as also
evidenced by the use of そなた and the ぬ negation), so the use of なくば seems in
fitting with that style.


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answer


なくば and なければ do not have the same meaning in classical Japanese. なくば is the
未然形 of 無し, to which the particle ば has been attached, to give the meaning of
'if ... does not exist'. なければ is the 已然形 of the かり conjugation of the same
verb, 無し, with the particle ば attached, meaning 'when/since/because ... does
not exist'.

When the distinction between these two forms was starting to fade, I imagine
they were used inter-changeably in the 'if' sense, but one can't say that one
is an older form of the other.

In modern Japanese, the 已然形 + ば form is used exclusively for the hypothetical
'if' sense. There is one example though, in modern Japanese, of the original
未然形 + ば, namely, ならば, 'if it is'. The copula in classical Japanese is に + ある,
contracted usually to なる, and the 未然形 of that is なら. Modern Japanese なら is a
shortened form of ならば.

The only survival of the original 已然形 + ば is in the phrase V + ばこそ, used in
the sense of 'precisely because'.

Thus, in modern Japanese no distinction is made between なければ and なくば, the
latter having, in addition to the archaic flavour mentioned, perhaps an
imperious, feel about it.


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answer